(CNN) – Mitt Romney continued his blitz against President Barack Obama over the federal deficit on Tuesday, signaling a GOP shift away from social issues and back to what Republicans consider the president's Achilles' heel: the economy.

The presumptive GOP presidential nominee gave a speech on government spending in the battleground state of Iowa, the same day as House Speaker John Boehner cautioned of another battle brewing in Congress over the national debt ceiling.

soundoff(90 Responses)

since when is 8.2 a DOUBLE DIGIT? And just what inflation are you talking about? Taxes under Obama have NOT been raised unless you follow FoxNews for your talking points.

May 15, 2012 02:54 pm at 2:54 pm |

The REAL Truth...

@ BEND Forward – "What's wrong with reviewing the last 3 years of Obama failures???? "
----------------------
Because its similar to reviewing ONLY the bottom of the 9th inning of a baseball game. It's NOT the WHOLE PICTURE.
Why don't we focus on the accomplishments of the GOP over the last 3 yrs instead? Shouldn't take long – it's a short list!

1 – Make Obama a 1-term President at ALL COSTS !!
2 – Decrease the Debt Rating of the USA – to ensure Obama is a 1-term President.
3 – Offer up unacceptable budgets and filibuster and block every piece of Dem legislation – to ensure Obama is a 1-term President.

See the picture here.. not too pretty when the GOBP smoke and mirrors are lifted and the TRUTH is exposed.

May 15, 2012 02:55 pm at 2:55 pm |

Obama 2012 - BEND Forward America, take another 4 long years of FAILURE

Rudy NYC
The annual deficit has decreased every Pres. Obama has been in office. It is down from the record high, what was set in Bush's final fiscal year, $1.5 trillion, to a a projected under $1 trillion FY2013
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Why do you insist on lying Rudy? That $1.5 figure included $700 Billion of TARP funds, most of which were repaid to the government. Final cost was 30-40 billion. NONE of Bush's deficits were anywhere near what Obama's are. And NONE of them have been below $1.3 TRILLION and none are projected to be much below that number, unless you believe the fairy tales assumptions Obama's financial incompetents use.

The fact is that Obama is hands down the biggest, most out of control spender this country has ever seen. Why do you think the Democrats won't put together a budget? It would show how insane their spending truly is and they don't want to shine a light on it.

May 15, 2012 02:57 pm at 2:57 pm |

Rudy NYC

B.

If the Debt is -the issue- then why is it that all the Republicans talk about are SOCIAL ISSUES that have nothing to do with the Debt?
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Because they caused the debt, but deny it nonetheless. Even George W. Bush's own economic advisor, Gov. Mitch Daniels of IN, predicted trillion dollar deficits within a decade. When asked about the statement on the Sunday talks shows VP Cheney uttered his now infamouse, "deficits don't matter."

May 15, 2012 03:00 pm at 3:00 pm |

Joe from CT, not Lieberman

Yes, let's shift the debate to the deficit that the Republicans created thanks to Dubya's tax cuts, two unfunded wars, and an unfunded Medicare prescription drug program. They should be able to prove that this was all Nancy Pelosi's and Barak Obama's faults, even though Newt and Denny Hastert were the Speakers of the House, and he was a State Senator in Illinois at the time most of this stuff took place.

May 15, 2012 03:02 pm at 3:02 pm |

Marie MD

This is the norquist quote which tells you why he and the tea tards want the flip flopping spineless slime ball psycho as president:
"all we have to do is replace Obama...we are not auditioning for a fearless leader. We don't need a president to tell us in what direction to go ...we just need a president to sign this stuff...pick a republican sit enough working digits to handle a pen to become president on the United States. "

May 15, 2012 03:19 pm at 3:19 pm |

Marie MD

That should be with not "sit" enough.....

May 15, 2012 03:20 pm at 3:20 pm |

California Conservative

Interesting considering democrats can't even come up with a budget. 0-97 and 0-414 isn't a budget it's a major JOKE.

May 15, 2012 03:20 pm at 3:20 pm |

California Conservative

FACT: Democrats would much rather continue to talk about gay marriage rather than deficit and/or the budget.

May 15, 2012 03:22 pm at 3:22 pm |

The Real Tom Paine

-Obama 2012 – BEND Forward America, take another 4 long years of FAILURE

The Real Tom Paine – Tell me, who has occupied the Governor Mansion in CA most of the last 3 decades
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So are you claiming the Governor has dictatorial powers in California??? He can do whatever he wants and the elected reps and senators do nothing???? You mean the Democrat controlled statehouse doesn't pass laws that the governor signs???

Why do you bother posting such blatant lies like you do Pain? California ha sbeen a liberal bastion of Democrat controlled insanity for decades. The Governor is powerless to do anything on his own. The Democrat controlled legislature plays the music that the Governor is forced to dance to. You know that. Why do you deny it?
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Ever wonder why the CA legislature has stayed in the Democratic camp? Because the GOP shifted further and fuirther to right, adopting even more insane positions as time went along. That, coupled with the FACT the CA GOP is the group that first proposed slashing property taxes, forcing the State and municiplaties to tax everything that moved. Do you really think an infrastructure in a state like CA is maintained by wishful thinking? Apparently you do. Typical rightie, creating his reality where nothing has to be paid for by them.

May 15, 2012 03:27 pm at 3:27 pm |

Marie MD

@caconservative, and your party ran on jobs in 2010 and they have done nothing except put speed bumps on the road not just for the President but for all of us.

May 15, 2012 03:30 pm at 3:30 pm |

The REAL Truth...

@bEND Forward America – "That $1.5 figure included $700 Billion of TARP funds, most of which were repaid to the government. Final cost was 30-40 billion. NONE of Bush's deficits were anywhere near what Obama's are.
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You must subscribe to the usual amnesiac GOBP philosophy – if-you-say-it-long-and-often-enough-it-becomes-the-truth school. Boy, have you been sipping on the cool aid.. If you want to include TARP in Dubya's $1.5T deficit, why not 'fess up and include the $3-4T for Dubya's TWO unfunded wars that are included in Obama's $5+T spending ??
No, of course not. Doesn't fit the spoutrage model....

May 15, 2012 03:32 pm at 3:32 pm |

Bill, NY

The debt ceiling under Bush was raised just shy of 90 times, but when this president wants to raise it just a few times the republicans all of a sudden want to play at being responsible?!?!? The key to this country really getting out of the recession is if the president is re-elected, give him a Democratic senate and congress whose major concern is not to make sure the president(hence all of us )loses, but to help the people in this country. We also need total transparency in all goverment contracts. The graft and corruption is what is truly bleeding us dry!

May 15, 2012 03:37 pm at 3:37 pm |

The Real Tom Paine

-California Conservative

FACT: Democrats would much rather continue to talk about gay marriage rather than deficit and/or the budget.
***************************
FACT: Republicans would much rather the country enter another recession/depression than bother trying to solve the problems of this country in any sort of realistic fashion.

FACT: The GOP has spent more time and effort nominating a bland, colorless manager who oozes insincerity than trying to solve the country's problems.

Boy, its fun calling the righties out on their failures. The only thing that prevents me from listing them all is time and space.

IMO, the entire GOP congress should be brought up on charges of treason. They have done NOTHING to improve our economy and have done EVERYTHING to obstruct our President. The debt ceiling has been raised numerous times under every President but we only hear about it once President Obama wants to raise it. Yeah ok. These traitors even allowed our credit rating to be lowered to make him look bad. How anyone can vote for them is beyond me. And when the dumb Americans vote Robmey in and he and his cronies clean Americas clock, guess who they will blame?? President Obama of course, yet shrub, gets a free pass. Hypocrites, the whole lot of them!

OBAMA 2012!

May 15, 2012 03:50 pm at 3:50 pm |

Obama 2012 - BEND Forward America, take another 4 long years of FAILURE

The Real Tom Paine
Ever wonder why the CA legislature has stayed in the Democratic camp? Because the GOP shifted further and fuirther to right, adopting even more insane positions as time went along. That, coupled with the FACT the CA GOP is the group that first proposed slashing property taxes, forcing the State and municiplaties to tax everything that moved. Do you really think an infrastructure in a state like CA is maintained by wishful thinking? Apparently you do. Typical rightie, creating his reality where nothing has to be paid for by them.
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California has been controlled by the Democrats since the beginning of time! Just like New York, just like Massachusetts. These states are just meccas for the liberal loons. But that is THEIR problem!

And since when does proposing anything make it happen? California, like many other states, has chosen to cap property taxes so people can afford to live there, and own a home.

It is very amusing and telling all of your posts focus on taxes and taking more of them yet you completely ignore the massive spending problem that generates the debt. What about Californias massive COSTS? Where do these endless amounts of tax dollars go? Illegal aliens cost the state billions, but the loons want sanctuary cities. Generous union pensions of civil servants? Did a town in California recently discover several town officials paying themselves over a million a year?

It is clear liberals and Democrats simply want to take and spend endless amounts in taxes. They will not admit there must be a limit to the taking and spending.

May 15, 2012 04:02 pm at 4:02 pm |

Obama 2012 - BEND Forward America, take another 4 long years of FAILURE

The REAL Truth...
why not 'fess up and include the $3-4T for Dubya's TWO unfunded wars that are included in Obama's $5+T spending ??
======================================================================================
Are you insane? Iraq spending was almost over when Obama took office and Obama is the one that called Afghanistan "the good war" and the one we should be fighting. Why should he then not accept responsibility for the costs? But how do you think the entire cost of the Iraq war is included in the $6 TRILLION of Obama deficits? That is just simply bizarre.

May 15, 2012 04:06 pm at 4:06 pm |

The Real Tom Paine

-Obama 2012 – BEND Forward America, take another 4 long years of FAILURE

The Real Tom Paine
Ever wonder why the CA legislature has stayed in the Democratic camp? Because the GOP shifted further and fuirther to right, adopting even more insane positions as time went along. That, coupled with the FACT the CA GOP is the group that first proposed slashing property taxes, forcing the State and municiplaties to tax everything that moved. Do you really think an infrastructure in a state like CA is maintained by wishful thinking? Apparently you do. Typical rightie, creating his reality where nothing has to be paid for by them.
=======================================================================================
California has been controlled by the Democrats since the beginning of time! Just like New York, just like Massachusetts. These states are just meccas for the liberal loons. But that is THEIR problem!

And since when does proposing anything make it happen? California, like many other states, has chosen to cap property taxes so people can afford to live there, and own a home.

It is very amusing and telling all of your posts focus on taxes and taking more of them yet you completely ignore the massive spending problem that generates the debt. What about Californias massive COSTS? Where do these endless amounts of tax dollars go? Illegal aliens cost the state billions, but the loons want sanctuary cities. Generous union pensions of civil servants? Did a town in California recently discover several town officials paying themselves over a million a year?

It is clear liberals and Democrats simply want to take and spend endless amounts in taxes. They will not admit there must be a limit to the taking and spending.
******************************************************
California was GOP bastion for decades. Ever hear of Hiram Johnston, Herbert Hoover, Richard Nixon, or Ronald Reagan? Giants in the GOP. George Murphy was another Senator from California who was a GOP darling. The difference between them and the loons you support is that they believed in not only paying for what they had built, but they were also willing to deal over things. Thats the critical difference. Your ignorance of your own party's history is nothing short of astonishing. By the way, both NY and MA were GOP strongholds for decades: ever hear of Calvin Coolidge or Nelson Rockefeller? The stumbling point the GOP has always had is its unwillingness to pay to maintain the infrastructure they help create. The state university systems in NY and CA set the standard for the rest of the country, and they were largely established by GOP governors. They have been maintained by Democrats because of the rightie loons who seem to feel a college degree is a sign of being a snob rather than a ticket to better life. The tax cuts they always are clamoring for are given at the expense of the middle class who attend those public universities. As for the illegals, every time they purchase something at a store, they are paying sales taxes. The idea that the left is wasting billions is a way for the right to avoid responsibility for the tax cuts taht have made it even ahrder to pay for teir programs.

May 15, 2012 04:25 pm at 4:25 pm |

The Real Tom Paine

-Obama 2012 – BEND Forward America, take another 4 long years of FAILURE

The REAL Truth...
why not 'fess up and include the $3-4T for Dubya's TWO unfunded wars that are included in Obama's $5+T spending ??
======================================================================================
Are you insane? Iraq spending was almost over when Obama took office and Obama is the one that called Afghanistan "the good war" and the one we should be fighting. Why should he then not accept responsibility for the costs? But how do you think the entire cost of the Iraq war is included in the $6 TRILLION of Obama deficits? That is just simply bizarre.

May 15, 2012 04:06 pm at 4:06 pm |
*****************************************************
"Almost over"? Really? Any other fantasies you would care to spin? Any suggestion that Iraqi spending was " almost over' is delusional, but, you are a rightie, so we've come to expect that. Please continue, this is the most fun I've had in quite some time.

May 15, 2012 04:43 pm at 4:43 pm |

Ronda in Houston,TX

Everything that the Repubs have rejected concerning this President has to do with one thing...Making sure that Obama's presidency is not in ANYWAY successful. Period.

May 15, 2012 04:48 pm at 4:48 pm |

Jim

A – Romney built and refined the business model being used at Bain.
B – Romney cannot say the steel mills went bankrupt after he left Bain and then take credit for other companies growth after he left Bain.
C – How many jobs has he created in the last 10 years? I don't want to hear about an MVP of 25 years ago trying to play into today's league.

May 15, 2012 05:04 pm at 5:04 pm |

Jude

The economy or gay marriage are both poison pills for Obama in the South. Obama isn't going to get a second term.

May 15, 2012 05:57 pm at 5:57 pm |

ProtectAmericanJobs

It shouldn't be all about Democrats or Republicans! It should be about doing the right thing for our country and the majority of it's citizens.Both parties have sold out the bulk of the American citizens, who they're supposed to represent, by allowing the "out-sourcing" floodgates to open wider and wider without taking any sensible measures to stem the tide. All this single-minded, left versus right, ideological one dimensional bull has got to go! This is the problem the with our country. It shouldn't be about Democrats or Republicans! *** It should be about Americans, especially our elected officials, doing the right thing for our country and it's citizens. ***

May 15, 2012 05:59 pm at 5:59 pm |

Darryl

The GOP has caused all the down fall and the slow recovery.They have a mission to keep everything down,the economy bad so Pres.Obama is to blame.They have not passed 1 biil to get people back to work.P.Obama gave them a Infrastructure Bill to build roads,bridges ect. Hundreds of thousands of people to work and they would NOT even look at it.They have held this country and the people in it HOSTAGE.They are LIARS and they need to be re-placed by compitent people who want this country to succeed and grow.They are going to continue the LIES and keep this country in a bad economy till November when election is here. They think M.Romney will be able to get the W/House and the Republicans can control the country again. They better think again, because we are not stupid and we haven't forgotten what happened and who was in charge when the country fell into the depression and everybody lost everything.WE are NEVER going back to that again......EVER!

May 15, 2012 06:01 pm at 6:01 pm |

Claudia, Houston, Tx

Romney needs to tell the Republican Congress they need to "shift the focus to the deficit" but no they shift the deficit from Bush to Obama and then refused to do anything other than extend the Bush era tax cuts for the rich and that includes you, Mr. Romney.